Mike Vax & MVJO CD "Alternate Route"
Notes from Lennie Niehaus
About the CD
Acknowledgements
Notes: Lenny Niehaus
"Alternate Route" is a CD that MVJO can certainly be proud of. This band is comparable to any good jazz band playing throughout the country. The musicianship is superb, the soloists are some of today's best and the arrangements and compositions are of the highest caliber.
There is a great variety of tempos and great use of the woodwinds. The opening of Howard Cespedes' "New Wages" is particularly impressive with the use of the woodwinds playing a cappella and then the entire band before the rhythm section enters.
Vocalist, Cami Thompson, is a joy to listen to. On "It Might As Well Be Spring", with her excellent feeling for jazz, her amazing range and her marvelous scat singing, measured trade offs between Mike Vax (a trumpet player that can do it all!) and Cami are a rare treat.
The programing of the tunes are well placed with a mixture of originals and the use of standard tunes. I particularly like "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most", "I'm Old Fashioned", the above-mentioned "It Might As Well Be Spring" and the lovely Mike Vax trumpet solo on "What A Wonderful World".
Kudos to everyone involved with this recording.
— Lennie Niehaus
